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The patch of Highway BR163 where the tarmac runs out south of Santarem. The highway ran from Santarem on the banks of the Tapajos river for one thousand miles south into the state of Mato Grosso and was unpaved except for a small stretch at its northern end. The area surrounding the highway was the front line in the battle between local communities and environmentalists who tried to prevent to spread of rainforest destruction by illegal loggers and companies which bought and seized land for...more »

The patch of Highway BR163 where the tarmac runs out south of Santarem. The highway ran from Santarem on the banks of the Tapajos river for one thousand miles south into the state of Mato Grosso and was unpaved except for a small stretch at its northern end. The area surrounding the highway was the front line in the battle between local communities and environmentalists who tried to prevent to spread of rainforest destruction by illegal loggers and companies which bought and seized land for use in cattle ranching and growing soy beans for export from Brazil via the port at Santarem.« less